Environmental Health Expert Available to Comment on PFAS

On July 5, the U.S. Geological Survey released findings that suggest at least 45% of the nation’s tap water could be contaminated with PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” Now, as many Americans express their concern, one environmental health expert…

Chula’s Department of Nuclear Engineering Offers In-depth Radiation Measurement and Explains the Dangers Associated with Caesium-137

Lecturers of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Chulalongkorn University have found no contamination or spreading of Caesium-137 to the environment in the area of Prachin Buri Province as reported in the news. The Department aims to provide academic services and radiation measurements by a team of experts with in-depth measurement equipment.

Fresh veggies need a good scrubbing to prevent contamination

Cangliang Shen, a researcher with the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and WVU Extension, has studied the microbial safety of both local farmers market produce and mobile poultry processing units, revealing risks from bacteria like E. coli, listeria and salmonella.

UC Irvine researchers create E. coli-based water monitoring technology

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 23, 2023 – People often associate Escherichia coli with contaminated food, but E. coli has long been a workhorse in biotechnology. Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated that the bacterium has further value as part of a system to detect heavy metal contamination in water. E.

Residents Could Be Exposed to Cancer-Causing Substances in Wake of Train Explosion

Days after a train carrying vinyl chloride derailed and exploded near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, a controlled burn of toxic chemicals was ignited to prevent a much more dangerous explosion. In the aftermath of the cleanup, three additional toxic chemicals have been discovered…

Chula Launches a Bioproduct “Microbes to Clean Up Oil Spill in the Ocean”

Chula Faculty of Science has developed bioproducts to clean up oil spills in the ocean from their research on oil-eating microbes while getting ready to expand to industrial-scale production for ecological sustainability.

Low levels of high-risk salmonella evade traditional methods of detection

Poultry is responsible for more than one out of every five cases of salmonella infection in the U.S. But traditional methods of testing the chicken you grab off the grocery shelf may not be enough to detect all strains of the bacteria, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

Gut Microbiome Manipulation Could Result from Virus Discovery

Scientists have discovered how a common virus in the human gut infects and takes over bacterial cells – a finding that could be used to control the composition of the gut microbiome, which is important for human health. The Rutgers co-authored research, which could aid efforts to engineer beneficial bacteria that produce medicines and fuels and clean up pollutants, is published in the journal Nature.

Bacteria Can Defuse Dangerous Chemical In Passaic River

Bacteria that can help defuse highly toxic dioxin in sediments in the Passaic River – a Superfund hazardous waste site – could eventually aid cleanup efforts at other dioxin-contaminated sites around the world, according to Rutgers scientists. Their research, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, needs further work to realize the full potential of the beneficial bottom-dwelling microbes.

Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Soil Compaction, Healthy Yards

New Brunswick, N.J. (June 23, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Steven Yergeau is available to discuss the causes of soil compaction and how to correct it to foster healthy yards. Soil compaction can impact lawns and gardens and cause…

Ultraviolet Light Exposes Contagion Spread from Improper PPE Use

Despite PPE use, reports show that many health care workers contracted COVID-19. A novel training technique reinforces the importance of using proper procedures to put on and take off PPE when caring for patients during the pandemic. Researchers vividly demonstrate how aerosol-generating procedures can lead to exposure of the contagion with improper PPE use. The most common error made by the health care workers was contaminating the face or forearms during PPE removal.

New Portable Tool Analyzes Microbes in the Environment

Imagine a device that could swiftly analyze microbes in oceans and other aquatic environments, revealing the health of these organisms – too tiny to be seen by the naked eye – and their response to threats to their ecosystems. Rutgers researchers have created just such a tool, a portable device that could be used to assess microbes, screen for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and analyze algae that live in coral reefs. Their work is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Researchers study impact of contaminants in floodwaters

Last spring’s historic flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers may have distributed toxic contaminants along wide flood routes. Researchers know little about how these materials may affect public health and safety in rural and urban areas. But a group of geologists and geological engineers from Missouri University of Science and Technology is working to find out.

Space Hardware Contamination Control Protocols Get Update

Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab want to know more about the potential harmful effects of organic contamination on space exploration hardware and how to prevent it. They will talk about their research at the 66th annual AVS International Symposium and Exhibition. JPL scientist Martin Maxwell will present a session on how increased sensitivity of instruments and missions calls for an update in outdated contamination procedures.

A new way to unprint paper using intense pulsed light from a xenon lamp.

New Unprinting Method Can Help Recycle Paper and Curb Environmental Costs

Rutgers-led study shows the benefits of removing toner with pulses of intense xenon light Imagine if your printer had an “unprint” button that used pulses of light to remove toner, curbing environmental impacts compared with conventional paper recycling. A Rutgers-led…